Zootopia: From the Outside
by ErinMilne
Summary: We all know how the Night Howler incident played out from the perspective of the critters who cracked the case. But have you ever wondered how those same events would have affected everyday citizens? Meet Ariel Hobbes, a young tigress who finds her life completely changed by the sudden outburst against predators. Will she be able to weather the storm? Find out here…
1. Chapter 1: Current Events

Ariel Hobbes reluctantly shoved her math textbook into her already-bulging backpack and tried to zip it up. The school day had seemed to take forever, what with it being Friday and all. But the substitute today for history class? He made her tail twitch. And her fur stand on end. And every other possible negative reaction a tiger's body could summon.

"That no-good mudslinger," Ariel muttered under her breath as she slammed her locker closed. "Where is the trust, I ask you, where is the trust?"

"You're talking about Mr. Polaris, right?" came a voice from over Ariel's shoulder. Ariel swiveled her head around to see her best girlfriend, Kiki Georgeson, standing behind her. Kiki was relatively new to the school, and to Zootopia itself. The young monkey hailed from Primate City, but her father had decided to expand his window-washing business to the capital of Mammalia. The Georgesons' apartment was right across from the Hobbes's, and Ariel and Kiki were in a few of the same classes at school, so it was only instinctual that the girls should become friends.

There were the obvious differences, of course. Ariel was a naturally outgoing young animal, and an active one. Her main passion was swimming; she had already won several competitions individually and as a member of Possum Aquatic Center's team. She was extremely independent, since both of her parents had jobs outside the home: her father was the editor of the _Zootopia Times_ , and her mother worked as a doctor in the Rainforest District. This independent spirit had often gotten Ariel into trouble, but she didn't give a snarl.

Kiki, on the other paw, was shy and bookish. She was never seen without a book tucked under her arm, and she rarely spoke to anyone. She never did anything without the permission of her parents, and was generally a rule-follower.

However, Ariel and Kiki had discovered that they shared a love of current events, what was happening in the world around them at the time. Every day, they would examine and discuss the newspaper headlines of the day, usually provided courtesy of Mr. Hobbes. The girls also bonded over the fact that they both had an annoying little brother to deal with. Calvin Hobbes and Duke Georgeson were the bane of their respective sister's existence, and the boys also happened to be best friends. Fortunately, the girls had come up with a few ways to negate how annoying their brothers were.

Kiki helped Ariel calm down somewhat, which helped avert trouble on many occasions. In return, Ariel helped Kiki enjoy the spices of life. In short, they went together like peanut butter and jelly.

Ariel answered her friend, "Yeah, is that guy biased or what? He kept lecturing us about how the Civil Rights movements biased the world in favor of minorities. As if there weren't enough differences between predator and prey."

"I know!" Kiki exclaimed. "He needs to get his head into the present. This is Zootopia. Mammals don't eat other mammals!"

"I'm just praying Ms. Lambsted gets well soon," Ariel quipped as she shouldered her backpack. "Then we won't have to deal with that guy anymore."

"Maybe we should send her a get-well card!" Kiki suggested. "We could have all our classmates sign it."

Ariel laughed, "Great idea, Keek! I'll make one when I get home. You're doing tutoring, right?"

Kiki nodded. "I'll see you when I get back," she affirmed. The two waved at each other, and out Ariel stepped into the busy city of Zootopia. She'd catch the ZTA to her apartment; there was a stop right near Mincoln High. As Ariel sat down, she felt the familiar buzz of her PawPhone. Apparently, she had a new text from her friend Diego Barnum; of course, she was eager to reply.

 **Sk8rfant73** : _Yo Ari! Whazzup? R U out of school yet?_

 **TigerSplash6** : _Yeah, ok day. History sub was worse than your Uncle Jerry._

 **Sk8rfant73** : _Sry. Speakin of Uncle J, wanna do ice cream tomorrow?_

 **TigerSplash6** : _Can Kiki come 2? We have a project we wanted to work on._

 **Sk8rfant73** : _Sure! He has banana splits, lol_

 **TigerSplash6** : _Great! C U then!_

 **Sk8rfant73** : _Stay cool, Queen of the Pool!_

The transit pulled up just as Ariel put away her phone, smile on her muzzle. That elephant's cool-as-ice nature always made her feel better. Calvin teased her about crushing on him, but they were just friends. Such thoughts put a bounce in her stride as she boarded the transit.

* * *

Ariel pushed open the apartment door, and the creak echoed through the empty rooms. This was normal, though; her brother had Cub League practice until five. Perfect time for her to get some denwork done, maybe catch up on the news. Ariel made her way to the kitchen table and dug through her backpack for her math book, scanning the headline of the newspaper on the counter: _ZPD Welcomes First Rabbit_ _to Ranks_.

"Interesting," Ariel thought aloud. "Sounds like the Mammal Inclusion thing we heard so much about is paying off. A bunny cop… I gotta say, I'm impressed. She must have worked really hard at it to get in. Better finish my denwork quick, so I can figure out more!"

Ariel sped through her denwork, finishing in record time. Her math was every bit as yawn-inducing as usual, but the rest of it was interesting. History entailed reading about Richard the Lion-Heart and legends of his time, including one of a wily fox known as Robin Hood. Everybody knew _that_ one, though.

Ariel grabbed the newspaper and began to read the front-page story. The rabbit who had just been accepted into Zootopia's police force was named Judy Hopps, and she came from Bunnyburrow. She was valedictorian of her class at the police academy. According to an interview with Judy, the bunny was fulfilling a lifelong dream by joining the ZPD; she had always wanted to "make the world a better place". _That's so awesome,_ thought Ariel. _I love seeing animals go after their dreams._ She continued reading, and learned that Judy would be stationed right in Downtown Zootopia. Ariel's eyes widened when she saw that. Maybe she would run into Judy someday soon…

" _TigerChase, we're movin'! We're beatin' Stalker at his game!_ "

Ariel groaned and dropped her head on the table. So much for a quiet afternoon. It looked like Cal was home early, and watching his favorite cartoon. Animally, Ariel _despised_ TigerChase. The episodes were all the same, the villain was completely irrational, and that cyborg bird that served as sidekick got really annoying after a while. Yet every day she had to grit her canines and bear through the adventures of the three tiger kids who got sucked into a computerized world periodically. The theme song didn't help, either. Especially when Calvin sang along...

"Could you please turn down the volume?" Ariel roared in the direction of the living room. "I can hear it clear over here!"

Calvin responded by turning the television up even louder. That was just the kind of thing he liked to do to be annoying.

Ariel continued, "You could always watch WordGorilla or Wild Ratts, you know! It doesn't have to be that show!"

"Pipe down, will ya?" Calvin shouted back. "The TigerSquad is about to get their mission from MotherBoar! This is a good part!"

"Ya know what, I'm just gonna block you out," Ariel said sarcastically as she grabbed a piece of colorful cardstock paper for the get-well card.

"Good. Maybe then I can watch my show in peace!"

* * *

Ariel jerked her head up when she heard the apartment door open. There was only one animal it could be at this hour. Calvin was already in bed, thank goodness. Ariel had been up late putting the finishing touches on her card, but now she ran to greet her dad.

"How's my little mermal?" Mr. Hobbes asked as Ariel flew into his arms.

Ariel laughed, "Oh, I'm doing great, Dad!" I'm making a get-well card for my history teacher. She's out sick."

"Good for you. Calvin's in bed?"

"Thank Dog, he is!"

Mr. Hobbes rolled his eyes playfully. "How did he annoy you today?" he chuckled.

"First of all," Ariel started, "he was blasting that idiotic TigerChase show while I was working on homework. Then he tore up the first card I made before Kiki and I could sign it."

"I'll talk to him about it later," Mr. Hobbes sighed. "Right now, you need to get to bed. You have swimming practice after school tomorrow, don't you?"

Ariel's eyes immediately brightened. "Oh yeah, almost forgot! We've got a huge meet this weekend."

"Get some sleep," Mr. Hobbes advised. "I'll see you in the morning."

Ariel nodded, bear-hugged her dad one more time, and pounced off to her bedroom. It was small, considering she lived in an apartment, but there was room on her walls for her most prized possession. An autographed poster of the famed swimmer Sarah Sjohorn. _If a bunny can fulfil her dream of becoming a cop,_ Ariel mused as she snuggled under her sky-blue comforter and closed her eyes, _a tigress can surely become a famous swimmer. That's my dream. I'm gonna follow Judy's example and go after it, no matter what it takes._


	2. Chapter 2: Life of Hobbes

" _This is my Flight Song! Take-Back-My-Life Song! Prove-I'm-All-Right Song..._ "

Ariel smiled as she sat up in bed. The song on her clock radio was one of her favorites ("Flight Song" by Rachel Batten). Instead of swiping a paw at the snooze button like she usually did, she hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom down the hall to brush her teeth. As she passed Calvin's room, she could hear him grunting "masculinely", and once she noticed his open door, she couldn't resist taking a peek. Who knew what Cal was doing that would embarrass him later?

Turned out, he was making muscles in his mirror. "Oh yeah," he murmured to himself (or so he thought). "This is what toughness looks like. You are a lean, mean baseball machine!"

"Good morning, hotshot," Ariel teased as she left the doorway and continued to the bathroom. She could hear Calvin yelling at her from down the hall.

Once her teeth sparkled, Ariel headed to the kitchen, where her mother was loading the dishwasher and her father was reading the morning news. Ariel hoped he'd set aside the comics page for Calvin like normal. Otherwise, there would probably be a fit.

"Good morning, Mom and Dad," Ariel greeted her parents as she dug through the cupboards.

"Morning, honey," Mrs. Hobbes replied absentmindedly. "Oh, I hope you don't mind that I signed your teacher's get-well card. Would you like me to take it to the hospital on my way to the clinic?"

"Nah, I want to get my classmates to sign it first," Ariel explained. "How about tomorrow? Oh, there it is!" She grabbed the Mice Krispies from the very back of the cupboard.

"I'd say good riddance," Calvin commented as he entered. "Subs are always better!"

"Obviously you haven't met Mr. Polaris," Ariel growled.

Mr. Hobbes raised his eyebrows. "I could have sworn I cut that article..."

"Which one?" Ariel pressed.

"This one about the latest missing mammal case," Mr. Hobbes explained. "I've been trying to avoid negative stories like this one, as you all know, but I must have missed this when I was working late last night."

"Another missing mammal?!" Calvin nearly spilled his Stix. "At this rate, Zootopia will be deserted!"

"Don't be so pessimistic," Mrs. Hobbes chasized. "Your father is right. For every bad story there are at least ten good ones."

"Speaking of a good story..." Ariel grinned mischievously. Calvin glared at her, but the clock struck seven before she could say anything. Without another word, all four Hobbeses entered a race to be out the door.

* * *

The little bell tinkled as Ariel and Kiki entered the ice cream shop. Almost immediately, Ariel was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of smells she was registering: mint, chocolate, sugar, flowers, sweat, the like. It was like this every time she visited this ice cream shop. Mr. Jumbeux desperately needed a better vent system. Unfortunately, he was too cheap for one.

"Hey, there's Diego!" Kiki pointed to the young elephant, already seated at a table with two empty chairs. His baseball cap, as always, was tilted to the side, and his hoodie was unzipped. Hardly a surprise, as "informal" was practically his middle name. Ariel slipped into the chair on Diego's right; Kiki took the left.

"How was school, girls?" Diego asked.

Kiki simply mumbled, "Fine," but Ariel launched right into a detailed explaination. "I almost tripped in the hallway. Mr. Polaris kept driving us all crazy. And I got nearly everyone to sign the card I made for our regular teacher. You want to sign?"

"Sure," Diego shrugged. Ariel nodded and pulled the card out of her backpack and set it in front of Diego, who scribbled down a message and a signature. "You guys can go get your ice cream, but try not to chat with Uncle J more than you have to. He's in a worse mood than usual. Got threatened by a cop for not following health procedures and refusing service to some fox."

"Yeesh," Ariel responded. "Speciesist, anyone?"

"Totally," Diego agreed. "He was mean to the cop, too. Get this: she was a rabbit!"

Kiki asked, "Did she mention her name? That might be Judy Hopps. She was in the news last night!"

"I read about her last night," Ariel added. "Apparently being a police officer has been her lifelong dream."

"Real inspiring," Diego concluded. "Y'know, maybe I should get the ice cream today. Uncle J won't like having to talk to a non-pachyderm."

"Good idea..." As she spoke, Kiki cast a nervous glance at Mr. Jumbeux. Diego stood up and stepped into line. Ariel opened her backpack again, and the girls resumed work on their science project: creating the lifeforms of the future.

"It's looking an awful lot like a monkey," Ariel observed.

Kiki shrugged, "Maybe the next one can be a cat. Be sure to give it clothing."

"Sure, but what about fur? Animals get hot with both fur and clothing. What if we let this thing's skin show completely?" Ariel suggested.

"Good idea," Kiki concurred. "It can just put on extra clothing if it's cold. But how about just a little fur on top, though?"

"I like that! Now what should we call this thing?"

"Good question..."

"Ladies..." Diego slid the two each a dish of ice cream, holding a treat for himself in his trunk. He'd gotten their favorites - a Teath Bar sundae for Ariel, a small banana split with strawberry ice cream for Kiki, and Nutty Crunch in a cone for him.

"Thanks, Diego," Ariel purred. Forgetting about the project for the moment, she settled herself to enjoy ice cream with her best pals.

* * *

"Great job today, girls!" called Jill, Ariel's possum swim instructor. "I expect to see each and every one of you here at some point before the meet on Saturday. Your homework is to practice those kicks! Have a good evening!" Ariel couldn't resist launching herself to the bottom of the lap pool before hauling her tail out. She loved being in the water. Every stroke she made energized her, spurred her on in a way none of her teammates really understood. They were all jealous of her, she knew, but she tried not to flaunt it. In fact, she wished she had a freind on her swim team.

"Great job as usual, Ariel," Jill whispered in the locker room. "You are going to knock it out of the park this weekend!"

"Thanks, ma'am," Ariel said with a blush. "I'll try to be in before the meet."

"Oh, I know you will. Have a great afternoon!"

"You too. See you soon!" Ariel slipped her cover-up over her head and left the locker room, smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3: Breaking News

Matt Otterton was in tears when Ariel got to her desk in homeroom. Ariel was surprised; Matt usually had a smile on his muzzle most days. What could have gone worng? A glance at Kiki showed that her best pal was feeling the same way. Kiki approached the young otter, lay a hand on his shoulder, and asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"My dad..." Matt sniffed. "He's gone missing. He never came back from yoga yesterday... Mom's worried sick, Benji's convinced he's dead..."

Ariel interrupted, "That's crazy. He's probably got a job somewhere that he forgot to tell you about."

"He's a florist! Florists don't need to travel!" Matt snapped. "Besides, he never goes anywhere without telling us."

Ariel whispered, "Creatures, this is more serious than I thought."

"True dat," Kiki nodded assent. "True dat."

"Class? Class! Please take your seats so I can take attendance," called Ms. Trotter, the horse who taught tenth-grade homeroom, from her desk. The class let out a collective groan and shuffled to their assigned desks.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Ariel said to her father. "Mr. Otterton makes fourteen missing mammals? Within two weeks?"

Mr. Hobbes nodded solemnly. "One of my reporters interviewed Chief Bogo, who claims it's the ZPD's top priority. He didn't have a lot of good things to say about Miss Hopps, though."

"The rabbit officer? What is he, crazy? She was top of her class!" Ariel argued.

Calvin commented, "It's probably cause she's a bunny and he's speciesist."

Mr. Hobbes ignored his son's vulgar comment and explained, "He doubts she's capable of all the duties of a full-fledged officer, relegating her to parking duty - hang on one second." Mr. Hobbes was interrupted by the classical ringtone on his phone.

"Allen Hobbes," he answered the phone, turning away from his family. "What? Put it in the next issue... yes, this is big. The public will love it... oh yes, the followup? Hmm? Yes, get a reporter to cover that story too... See you at the office... right, have a good evening. Bye." Hanging up the phone, he reported to his family, "According to this reporter, Miss Hopps caught the infamously infuriating Duke Weaselton..."

"You mean the guy we got the defective copy of _Catlantis: The Lost Empire_ from?" Calvin clarified.

Ariel muttered under her breath, "Hey, I fixed that thing..."

Mr. Hobbes nodded and answered, "The very same. Rumor has it she had a blowout with Bogo about it, but has agreed to take on her first big case - finding Mr. Otterton. Do you think you could get some info from your classmate tomorrow?"

"Sure," Ariel shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear about Judy. Oh, Mom, did Mrs. Lambstead like the get-well card Kiki and I made?"

Mrs. Hobbes shook her head. "She loved it, Ariel! She wrote a little letter and asked me to have you read it to your classmates tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Oh, I'll need to head to the pool sometime before the big meet this weekend..."

"How about you visit after school tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some writing denwork to do..."


	4. Chapter 4: Business As Usual

Ariel stepped out of the locker room and into the pool room. The smell of chlorine and moist fur struck her nostrils. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. _I love this place_ , she couldn't help thinking. _I love it, I love it,_ _I love it!_ She stepped over to the pool and dipped in a toe. The water was neither hot nor cold. Just right. Taking a deep breath and adjusting her goggles, Ariel dove in.

The water surrounded her almost instantaneously, like a crowd of fans at the approach of a movie star. Ariel looked around at the empty pool, the wide expanse of blue with black-and-white tiled walls and lane dividers above her head. For her, this was heaven. She would never leave if given the opportunity.

Ariel reluctantly resurfaced and immediately started backstroking across the pool. She only took a breath every so often, focusing more on moving her arms and legs. Once she reached the other side, she did a flip underwater and headed back to her starting point. Back and forth she traveled, slicing through the water at top speed. She used sidestroke, crawl, freestyle. She didn't pause for a second. She didn't want to. Her team would depend on her this weekend. She needed all the practice she could get.

Only, for her, it wasn't practice. It was fun.

* * *

"Do you have any aces?" Ariel asked Kiki from behind her fan of cards.

Kiki answered, "Go fish. Do you have a six?"

"Go fish," Ariel replied as she took a card of her own. "Queens?"

Kiki sighed, but handed over three Queen cards. "You get better at this game every day," she quipped.

"Says the monkey who won the Shangri-Paw High-Rise 9th Floor Go Fish Championship," Ariel retorted.

"Well, I am winning right now..." Kiki indicated her five sets of cars as opposed to Ariel's one.

Calvin walked in from the hall and asked, "Can I play?"

"Well, sure," Kiki decided. "We'll deal you in."

"No card throwing this time!" Ariel added.

Calvin argued, "Yeesh, that was one time! Can't a tiger ever live anything down?"

"And no peeking at my cards, either," Ariel muttered as Kiki handed Calvin five cards.

* * *

"Reptile Risotto _again?!_ " Calvin whined once he saw what was on his dinner plate. "We have this every night!"

"Last night we had the Quick Meal, remember?" Ariel reminded her brother. "Canned chicken, canned green beans, and microwave quinoa and brown rice."

"Which is the only meal you know how to cook," Mr. Hobbes added. "Be glad your mother could come home so early. Oh, by the way, Ariel, did you interview your classmate?"

Ariel nodded. "Matt was more than happy to oblige. It's in my school notebook."

"Good. I really hope Miss Hopps solves the missing mammal case soon."

"Me too. Matt says his family is heartbroken. Mr. Otterton is probably safe, though."

Even as she said those words, Ariel couldn't help but feel as if she had told an untruth.


	5. Chapter 5: A Prize Surprize

"Be sure to record the press conference for me," Ariel suggested as she zipped up her swim jacket. "I don't want to miss it because of my meet."

"I won't be surprised if ZNN gunks up the details with bias," Calvin snarked.

"I'm just glad that Judy Hopps and her fox freind were able to figure it all out," Mrs. Hobbes added, ignoring her son. "Who would have thought Mayor Lionheart was behind the disappearances?"

Mr. Hobbes added, "Don't forget how they've been turning savage. This is going to be the biggest news story Zootopia has seen in months! I'll send a couple of reporters to cover it myself."

"Either way, I'm gonna be late," Ariel pointed out. "Wish me luck!" Out the door she dashed.

Mrs. Hobbes chuckled, "She's almost as fast on her paws as she is in the water."

* * *

Ariel glanced around at the competition. An bison, a pig, and a horse were clambering onto the starting platforms on her right. On her left was a goat and a koala. _No otters or bears this time around,_ Ariel thought with some relief. _First place has my name on it!_

Ariel's deep blue goggles restricted her vision somewhat, but she thought she heard Kiki and Diego cheering her name. They'd shown her the sign they'd made the night before, as a surprise and - inevitably - trophy. Ariel had no intention of letting her friends down today. She would win this race even if it killed her.

"Take your marks!" Jill called out. Once the beep sounded, Ariel was instantly in the water. She flew through the water, kicking her legs and pumping her arms until she broke the surface of the pool. _Windmill my arms,_ she chanted. _Pinkie out, thumb in. Pinkie out, thumb in._ The bubbles flew past her as she focused on the black tiles that marked the lanes. Every time she poked her head up for a gulp of air, she could hear the crowd roaring with excitement over the splashes of water. As the opposite wall approached, a tune became stuck in Ariel's head. It was from a movie based on her favorite kid's TV show, and in her opinion, the music fit the occasion perfectly.

 _Choose a path, do the math!  
_ _Cause the days are numbered til the end of time!_

 _Is it wrong for a song  
To be so intense but still have words that rhyme?!_

 _The world is all you have, my freind!  
A world you must defend!  
Pawed Squad forever!  
Pawed Squad forever!_

As Ariel reached the wall, shed did a swift underwater turn and kicked off, gaining an extra speed boost. She only had to make it to the start one more time to win the race. Her legs kicked furiously, her arms windmilling faster than ever. She was burning, but the water cooled her off instantly. She barely felt her paw touch the wall, but knew that she had made it.

Ariel surfaced once more and glanced around. She had left the other swimmers in her bubbles.

She had won the race.

* * *

Several races later (a few of which Ariel participated in), it was time to bestow the prizes for the girls; 100-meter freestyle. Mr. Jaffers, a giraffe who taught at a different aquatic center, was doing the honors. Adjusting his glasses, he read aloud from his paper: "In third place, Lucy South." The koala Ariel had seen ran forward to claim her trophy. "In second place, Lillian Rye." The horse came forward. "And in first place..."

Ariel held her breath. This was the moment of truth. The moment where everything she worked for was fulfilled...

"Flora Bisonix."

Ariel couldn't believe her ears. The bison was getting first prize? Not her?! She'd been the one to win the race! Something snapped within Ariel as the words echoed inside her head. She leaped out of her chair and cried out, "Hey, wait a minute! I won that race, fair and square!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't give the trophy to a predator, now can we?" Mr. Jaffers jeered.

Ariel yelled, "You sure can if she had the fastest time on the clock!"

"No, we can't. Predators have an unfair advantage."

"I'll show you an unfair advantage!" Ariel was all but ready to attack the giraffe right then and there, but Jill held her back.

"Relax, Ariel," the possum whispered. "He's being unreasonable. I don't know what's gotten into him. You're a winner in my book, that's for certain."

Ariel barely heard her.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Ariel," Kiki sighed, placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "That was uncalled for. I saw you. You won those races."

"You can keep the sign," Diego offered. "More room on your walls than shelves, right?"

"Yeah. Sure." Ariel wasn't paying attention to her friends, instead watching the city of Zootopia go by as they all rode the ZTA homewards. Ariel noticed an elderly panda shaking her fist at a passing dingo. What was going on? What was with the sudden discrimination against predators?

It wasn't her fault she'd been born with teeth and claws.

* * *

Ariel was speechless as she watched the recorded press conference. Thanks to the leading questions the reporters asked, Judy Hopps announced that it was biology that had made the predators go savage, their natural instincts.

"That explains everything," she whispered in horror.

She didn't know what was going on, but she did know that it would not be good.


	6. Chapter 6: Calm and Savage

Ariel picked up the stack of mail as she stepped into the apartment. "More letters for you, Dad," she called in the direction of his office. "Hopefully it's not hate mail again..."

"That's what my inbox is full of," Mr. Hobbes sighed, hunched over his keyboard. "I honestly thought I was doing the right thing when I used my section of the opinion column to publish a statement calling for no more discrimination. Someone said I don't deserve to be editor."

Ariel wrapped her arms around her father. "Oh, dad, don't say that," she said comfortingly. "You've worked so hard to be editor of the _Times._ Besides, you're not the only high-position predator to get snapped at."

"Still mad about the meet?"

"Sorta. I mean, sure, I was the only predator competing, but I won those races. Now my teammates are avoiding me more than ever, and I found my locker vandalized."

"That's horrible."

"Don't I know it..."

A knock on the door drew Ariel away. Standing shyly on the other side was Kiki.

"Hey, Ariel."

"Hey. Wanna come in?"

"No, I - I just had to tell you something." Kiki gulped, sighed and continued, "My dad made the announcement this morning - we're moving back to Primate City."

"What?!" Ariel couldn't believe her ears, but the look on Kiki's face told her that the monkey was telling the truth. "Why, Keek?" the tigress asked, choking back sobs. "Your dad's window-washing business has never been doing better..."

"He's worried about all the recent outbursts, the predators going savage..." Tears were running down Kiki's face now. "Oh, Ariel, I'm gonna miss you so much..."

"I'll text every day," Ariel assured her freind before wrapping her arms around Kiki.

The two friends embraced in silence.

* * *

Ariel's backpack felt heavier than ever as she trudged down the steps. She'd had to present her science project alone, and she was sure she'd get a bad grade thanks to her status as predator. "What else could possibly go wrong?" she wailed aloud.

Ariel's phone buzzed. It was a text from her mom:

 _Get to hospital NOW. Your brother..._

"I shouldn't have asked."

* * *

Ariel watched in horror as her brother paced on all fours around the special chamber, his Cub League uniform in shreds in one corner. Once he managed to catch his family's glance, he snarled and attacked the clear wall. Ariel jumped back in horror. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I just can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Mrs. Hobbes whispered in equal horror, squeezing her daughter's shoulder.

Mr. Hobbes checked his watch and said, "We have to go, Ariel."

"Can't I stay a little longer?" Ariel begged.

"Be home soon," Mrs. Hobbes sighed as she left with Mr. Hobbes.

Ariel looked on at the wild, feral creature who had once been her brother. And she'd thought that her situation had been the worst...

She felt a small paw slip itself into hers. At her side was Matt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay," she replied. "It's not like you and your dad. Cal and I bickered all the time. We hated each other."

"That's not true. You like him, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"I guess you're right. How's your mom, by the way?"

"Getting desperate. She's really worried about Benji, and me. I'm praying that they find a solution."

"Me too. Well, I guess I'd better be heading home."

"I'll take you," Matt offered.

"I'd like that," Ariel shrugged. The two predators headed for the elevator, still paw in paw.


	7. Chapter 7: Silver and Gold

Ariel shuffled down the hall to her locker, her mind swarming with thoughts. Things had just gone so downhill after that press conference. It was almost as if the world was purposefully working against her. Still, she reminded herself, the only place to go once you've hit rock-bottom is up.

Ariel's thoughts were interrupted suddenly with loud shouts from the opposite side of the hall. A short lioness, whom Ariel recognized as a new kid in some of her classes, was reaching in vain for her schoolbooks, held in the air by Rick Waters, a hippo Ariel knew.

"Give those back! I need them for class!" the lioness yelled.

Rick laughed, "Sure you need them. I need them more than you do. Tell you what, you can take them... if you can get at them!" With those words, the books were flung into a nearby trash can. The lioness gasped, the slowly slumped down and cried, leaning against the can.

Ariel could hardly believe that such open discrimination was being allowed in the hallowed halls of Mincoln High. It was one thing when she was the one being bullied, but quite another seeing someone else suffer. Ariel was tempted to approach Rick and give him a piece of her mind, but her better judgement warned against it. Instead, she approached that can and, trying to breathe through her nose, reached in. The books weren't too far down, so Ariel could easily reach them.

"These yours?" Ariel gently asked, holding out the slightly dirty books.

The lion looked up, tears still in her eyes. "Yeah, they are," she sniffed as she accepted them. "Thank you so much, ah..."

"Ariel. You're Georgia, right? I think we're in the same homeroom."

"Yeah, that's me. I don't like the name Georgia, though. All my friends call me Georgie."

"That's cute. So, uh, where are you headed next?"

"Art class. I have a great drawing I wanted to show the teacher today."

"I'm on my way to biology, and then I have drama."

"I'm doing drama then, too!"

"No way. Are you going to try out for a part in the play?"

"Yeah, I love Shakespurr. I think I'll go for Helena."

"Either Puck or Hermia for me. Well, see you then!"

"Have fun in biology!" Georgie called as she skipped off down the hall. Ariel hafted her books and walked on with a smile.

* * *

"Ugh, another ugly note?" Ariel complained vocally as she opened her swim locker. "This is getting ridiculous!"

"Don't I know it," quipped the zebra girl standing next to her. "I've seen too many of those to count at school."

Ariel turned and raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"

"Oh, I'm Cheyenne. Just joined the team. I needed a way to get exercise."

"Well, I think swimming is one of the best ways possible to get exercise. What's your specialty?"

"Crawl."

"Maybe I can give you some pointers on your weaker strokes once we're in the pool."

"That'd be great," Cheyenne snickered as Ariel closed her locker. "Wait a sec. You're Ariel Hobbes? _The_ Ariel Hobbes?"

Ariel responded proudly, "In the fur!"

Cheyenne shoved her hoof into Ariel's paw. "It's so amazing to meet you face-to-face," she gushed. "I've heard so much about you. I'm a big fan!"

"You're the first prey animal to say that to me in a long time."

"Well, we stripers have to stick together, am I right?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's get to the pool."

* * *

 **Sk8rfant73** : _Bad news. 'Rents say I can't hang out with you anymore._

 **TigerSplash6** : _WTF?!_

 **Sk8rfant73** : _Uncle J got to Dad_

 **TigerSplash6** : _I get the pic. It's ok..._

 **Sk8rfant73** : _PRAYING this turns out ok_

 **TigerSplash6** : _Me too, Diego :*(_

(Later...)

 **TigerSplash6** : _Keek, I want to tell you so much..._

* * *

"Nice of you to ask me out tonight," Ariel said to Matt, sashaying in her best green dress as they walked, paw in paw, along the streets of downtown Zootopia.

Matt shrugged, adjusted his bow tie, and replied, "To tell the truth, I'd been meaning to do this for some time now. Just never got the chance."

"Glad you found it. So, what are you planning to have us watch when we get to the theater?"

" _Meowana_ 's not out yet, so I was thinking _Miss Peregrine's_."

"I've been dying to see that one. Have you read the book?"

"Actually, yes. It's pretty good. You'll love Jacob."

"As much as I love you?"

"Shut _up_ , Ariel," Matt said playfully. Ariel responded by giving her date a gentle nudge, and the two smiled at each other.

* * *

"Hey, wait, what's playing on that radio?" Ariel asked suddenly, dropping her script.

Cheyenne gave the volume knob a nudge from her position on the sofa. "Something by Rachel Batten, I think," she answered, excitement growing in her voice.

"Oh, I love Rachel Batten!" Georgie squealed, her own script falling to the apartment floor. "Flight Song, Batter Place..."

"This is definitely Hang By You," Matt added.

Once the chorus came on, all four mammals started singing their hearts out:

" _Even if we're breaking down,  
We can find a way to break through!  
Even if we can't find heaven,  
I'll fly through hell with you!  
Love, you're not alone,  
'Cause I'm gonna hang by you!_

 _Even if we can't find heaven,  
I'm gonna hang by you-oo!  
Even if we can't find heaven,  
I'll fly through hell with you!  
Love, you're not alone,  
'Cause I'm gonna hang by you!_"

The friends collapsed on the floor and laughed at the spontaneity of it all. _This is what friendship feels like,_ Ariel thought. _I'd nearly forgotten._


	8. Chapter 8: The Darkest Hour

Ariel dragged her paws down the hall, thoughts buzzing around in her head like bees in a hive. She'd just gotten a brilliant idea for a new club at school, and she'd heard a rumor that she and Matt had kissed (totally untrue, they had publicly denied the truth of this). Not to mention a lower-than-expected grade on a science test. She'd have to get her mom to help her out.

Once she found her apartment, she fished around in her pocket for the key, even though she knew her dad would be home. She absentmindedly glanced down the hall to Kiki's old apartment. Apparently, Kiki's old friends in Primate City had been more than happy to see her back, but the two still missed each other. Kiki hadn't seemed jealous when Ariel had told her about Georgie, Cheyenne, and Matt.

It was dark and silent inside the Hobbes's apartment. Calvin was still in the hospital, a savage shell of his former self. The light in Ariel's dad's office was on, though. Ariel first went to her room and dumped her backpack on the floor, sneaking a peek at her poster before returning to the front room. She wanted to relax with a little solitaire.

No sooner had Ariel gotten the deck of cards out of the cabinet then she heard a crash, followed swiftly by a sharp cry, from her father's office. Abandoning the cards, she raced down to the glass double-doors with the fabric curtains, jiggled the handle until one door swung open, and slipped inside. Her father had collapsed from his swivel chair, one paw clutching his head. His favorite lamp had fallen to the floor, explaining both the crash Ariel had heard and the sudden darkness. His breaths were slow and heavy, almost laborious.

"Dad? You okay?" Ariel crept to her father's side and knelt down.

Mr. Hobbes gasped, "Ariel? Don't - get out..." He closed his eyes in agony.

"Dad, no... I'm not going to leave you," Ariel whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Ariel's father reopened his eyes, but they weren't his eyes anymore. They were dark voids, devoid of emotion and rationale. A growl escaped his throat, through bared teeth.

It was only then that Ariel realized what had happened: her father had turned savage.

Mr. Hobbes unsheathed his claws and swiped at Ariel's arm. Ariel turned her head away, but she could hear the sound of skin tearing, feel the pain streak down her arm. Clutching the wounded spot, she stood up and raced down the hall, making sure to shut the office door behind her. As she ran, she heard the sound of more glass breaking, then of paws pounding against the carpet and fierce, ferocious snarls. Her dad was chasing her. Ariel broke into a sprint, her arm paining her more with every stride. At last, she reached the security of her bedroom.

Working quickly, Ariel locked the door, shoved her white plastic swivel chair up against the painted wood, and dashed to her backpack. As her paw came away from the wounded arm, Ariel discovered that it was drenched in warm, sticky, red liquid. Her own blood. She felt a little sick, but shook the feeling off and dug through the pack until she found what she was looking for - her cell phone.

A roar sounded beyond the door, and the chair shook. Ariel leaned against the door and one-handedly punched in three numbers, 911.

Dial tone. The door cracked open, and Ariel could see her father's wild eye outside. Dial tone. Another roar pierced Ariel's eardrums. Dial tone. _What is taking them so long?!_ Dial-

"What seems to be the problem?" asked a calm female voice.

"My dad's gone savage!" Ariel shouted into the phone, adding her beanbag chair to the weight against the door. "He got my arm, it's bleeding like crazy..."

"Can I get a name and address, miss?"

"Ariel Hobbes. I'm at Shangri-Paw High Rise, 587 East Clawedway, 9th floor, apartment 12. Hurry!"

"We'll have mammalell on their way instantly, Miss Hobbes." The phone went dead.

Ariel gulped and leaned harder against the door. The seconds passed like hours. Her arm continued to bleed; Ariel felt like passing out at any moment, but knew she had to keep awake. Suddenly, the door splintered into a million pieces, and Mr. Hobbes leaped though it. Ariel was knocked backwards against the opposite wall. Her father, padding on all fours, approached, teeth bared and snarling. Ariel's heart was going a million miles per hour, as if it was getting in every last beat it could before stopping forever. The scratches on Ariel's arm burned, blood continuing to flow.

Before Ariel could blink, emergency mammalell rushed into the room. A bighorn sheep rushed to Ariel's side, while his polar bear partner worked on restraining Mr. Hobbes.

"Those cuts look pretty deep," said the sheep. "Have you had the chance to treat them yet?"

Ariel shook her head. "I ran straight here and called 911. I didn't have time. I feel like I'm gonna pass out..."

"Try to stay awake. We'll get you downstairs in no time," the sheep assured her before pulling out a walkie-talkie. "Purrson, the girl has deep claw marks on her arm, looks like she's lost a lot of blood, can you get the medical truck ready?"

"Rodger that," scratched a voice from the walkie-talkie. The sheep nodded, put the gadget away, and inquired, "You can still walk, right?"

Ariel nodded. She followed the bear and the sheep, along with her wildly resisting father, out of the room.

* * *

Kiki tried to focus on the music on the radio from behind her copy of _Sablehaven_. She needed something to take her mind off of her troubles, and either rec activity would do nicely. Ever since moving back to Primate City, it seemed that tensions in the Georgeson family had only been rising. Duke had been more annoying than ever, and her dad more irritable. Kiki's mom had been, as always, trying to keep the peace with her mother magic (cookies really seemed to work) but it always seemed to be one thing after another.

The radio started playing the familiar intro that heralded an incoming news report, and Kiki gave the volume dial a little spin. She was desperate to know what was going on in Zootopia, now that she was no longer a resident.

"Foxed News, I'm Karen McHoof. As one of many predators who suddenly went 'savage' in recent days, Allen Hobbes, editor of the Zootopia Times, attempted to attack his daughter, Ariel, earlier this afternoon. The young tigress told reporters at Zootopia General Hospital that after inflicting some deep claw wounds on her arm, her father chased her to her bedroom, where she was able to contact emergency technicians."

The reporter's voice was replaced by Ariel's. "It all happened so fast, I was really bleeding, but I somehow managed to get to my phone and dial... Then he got in and cornered me, and that's about when the mammalell showed up."

The reporter's voice returned. "Miss Hobbes had to receive several stitches and should be released this evening, while Mr. Hobbes joins his younger son Calvin among the "savage" predators at the hospital. Gas prices - "

Kiki shut off the radio. She didn't want to hear about gas prices. She couldn't believe that she'd thought thing were going wrong for her, when things were clearly so much worse for her freind.

How could she have been so selfish?

* * *

Georgie, face nearly buried under a bouquet of blooms, slowly stepped into the hospital room. "Brought you these," she snickered.

"Aw, thanks, Georgie!" Ariel sat up in her bed and patted the bandage that covered her stitched arm. "The anesthetics are still wearing off, so I'm a little woozy right now."

"I still can't believe you had to get stitches," Cheyenne added as she joined Georgie, box of chocolates in her arms.

Ariel nodded, "Yeah, his claws are sharper than I thought. He must have gotten a manicure recently. Did you guys see him?"

"He's in a different wing of the hospital," Matt answered, holding what looked like a card. "They put him next to your brother, Calvin. They can see each other. They don't recognize each other, though. The doctors said that any sign of recognition could be a sign of recovery."

"That's awesome," Ariel said with a smile. "You guys can just put the stuff on the table."

The flowers, chocolate, and card went right on the table. Georgie and Cheyenne waved as they headed out the door, but Matt lingered a moment. He quickly leaned in and pecked Ariel on the cheek before racing out the door himself.

Ariel gently touched the kissed spot.

A favorite film quote of hers came to mind: _The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all._

Could that apply to a relationship?

Ariel sure hoped so.


	9. Chapter 9: Rise Up

"A peace rally?" Ariel raised an eyebrow upon hearing the suggestion.

Georgie held out the sign once more. "It'll be fun," she assured her freind. "This could be your only chance to meet Gazelle - the awesomest pop star _ever_ \- and let people know what you think! What do you say?"

"I have one more question," Ariel said flatly, eyebrow still raised. "Can I bring Matt and Cheyenne?"

* * *

"Preds for peace! Preds for peace!" Ariel chanted, sign held high above her head. The sky above her in Water Hole Park was a serene sight, but the same could not be said for the crowd now surrounding the rally members, Gazelle standing in the center of them. Georgie had gone to get an autograph from the singer, Matt had been positioned opposite Ariel with a sign of his own, and Cheyenne had come down with flu, so Ariel stood on her own. She was glad Georgie had talked her into this; it felt good to have her voice heard. She'd even seen TV cameras around, so she knew her face was going all over TV screens.

"Go back to the jungle, predator!" Ariel whirled around to reveal a pig getting in the face of the cougar - Alexis - next to her.

"I come from the savanna!" Alexis snapped back. Ariel winced. Wasn't the peace rally supposed to bring animals together, not tear them apart? Some mammals just missed the point.

Below the fighting animals, Ariel noticed a flash of grey and navy. Still holding her sign high, she looked down for a clearer view. A rabbit in a police officer's uniform stood between Alexis and the pig, holding them apart with a worried look on her face.

Ariel knew that rabbit.

Clutching her sign tightly, Ariel waited until the fight was over and Alexis and the pig parted ways, both still glaring at each other. She approached the officer and softly cleared her throat. "Ah, Miss Hopps?"

The rabbit turned around and looked surprised, almost scared. Ariel unclasped her right paw from her sign and said calmly as she could, "Ariel Hobbes. Pleasure to meet you, officer."

"Thank you," said Officer Hopps as she shook the outstretched paw. "I feel like I've heard your name somewhere before..."

"My dad was the editor for the _Times_."

"Oh. I... I'm so sorry. Your brother and your father - it must be awful to have lost them both."

"I know. It was." Ariel blinked back a tear, then grabbed a pen and notebook from her purse. "Could I get your autograph?" she inquired innocently.

Officer Hopps looked taken aback. "Why?" she asked. "This whole mess is my fault. I have no claim to fame."

"Hey, I know a leading question when I hear one," Ariel assured the rabbit. "Those reporters at the press conference last week were asking them left and right. You had no choice but to say those things."

"If you say so," Officer Hopps replied with a melancholy chuckle. "I don't really feel that all predators are savage. It's just that... I have a small history with them. Foxes especially."

Ariel started scribbling in the notebook. "Could you tell me more, ma'am?"

* * *

"I can't believe it's been so long, I'm _so_ sorry," Ariel gushed as she rushed into the hospital room. "How are you doing, Mrs. Lambstead?"

The elderly sheep smiled down at her history student. "Oh, thank you for dropping by, Ariel. I'm recovering quickly. Pneumonia can't keep an old girl like me down!"

"Glad to hear it," Ariel chuckled. "Oh, did you hear the news?"

"And how. I'm glad of it."

"Wait - what?!"

"Oh, predators have been in charge for thousands of years. I never trusted them. Those canines - ugh! Makes me shiver just thinking about them."

Ariel was already backing for the door.

* * *

The computer hummer and whirred as the screen flickered to life. Ariel typed in her password and swiftly made her way to the document function. Her notebook, with notes from her conversation with Judy Hopps, sat on one side of the keyboard. She flipped it open now.

The rift was widening too far, Ariel had decided. Citizen could not continue to oppose citizen. With her mother working late at the clinic, Ariel had time to herself to complete a secret mission - one that, she sincerely hoped, would change the way people saw that press conference, predators, and this whole mess.

Ariel typed out a potential headline: _Officer Judy Hopps Sheds New Light on the Faults of an Anti-Pred Perspective._ No, way too long.


	10. Chapter 10: The World Will Know

Rodger Chin yawned, stretched, and slowly took a piece of bamboo to munch on. It was another late night at the office. Rodger hadn't slept much since he had become the interim editor for the Zootopia Times. _It's only while Allen is... indisposed,_ he told himself, letting out another long sigh. He'd been good friends with Mr. Hobbes - as most mammals at the office knew him - since their college days, considering the tiger his closest friend. He was the godfather of Allen's son Calvin (a name idea that started as a complete joke, a reference to the comic strip). It was mostly due to Allen's influence that he had gotten a job at the Times in the first place. And now, he had gone savage.

The new crisis seemed to know no boundaries.

Before Rodger could sink himself further into depression, a chime alerted him of a new email in his inbox. The swarm of communication had died down, so he suspected it was a spam email. Still, he opened the message, which appeared to be from Allen's daughter's account.

 _Mr. Chin:_

 _I happened to meet Officer Judy Hopps at that peace rally earlier today, and I wrote the attached article in response to a conversation we had. I would really appreciate it if you could print it in the next edition of the Times. Maybe in the opinion section, I dunno, just put it somewhere, because I feel like Zootopia desperately needs to read this. Also, it would be nice if you didn't include my name. People were mad enough at my dad for the opinions he held. I've seen anonymous articles in the Times before._

 _Thanks,_

 _Ariel Hobbes_

 _P.S. My mom does not know about this, and I'd like to keep it that way!_

"Well, Ariel always did know how to make her voice heard," said Rodger to himself, opening the document in question. It was a well-thought-out article explaining the nuances of the relationship between prey and predator, taking no side but acknowledging each. It even included quotes from Officer Hopps, detailing a traumatic incident from her childhood. Once Rodger finished reading, he typed out a reply for Ariel to read come morning.

 _Ms. Hobbes:_

 _You're right - your article is exactly what the people of Zootopia need to see. I'll slip it into the Opinion section of the weekend edition. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me._

 _Rodger Chin_

Once the email was sent, Rodger shut down his computer and hefted his briefcase onto his desk. It was time to head home.

* * *

 **QriousKiki:** _Hey Ariel, I just read this awesome article in on the Times's website!_

 **TigerSplash6:** _Which? There's a lot of good ones this weekend._

 **QriousKiki:** _It's in the opinion section. The anonymous one, about how predators and prey are all animals and need fair treatment._

 **TigerSplash6:** _That one! What do you think?_

 **QriousKiki:** _I love the impartial-ish voice. I think I recognize it._

 **TigerSplash6:** _Do not tell a soul._

 **QriousKiki:** _Besties don't tell! lol_


End file.
